So What's Going on in MJ's Life These Days

I got a note from a friend today asking if I was still alive after I had stopped writing or talking for some time. I realized how much I had withdrawn. About the only thing I was doing for myself was this blog and my beloved photography.

So, here are some random thoughts about life, my life.

A couple weeks ago we brought Christine home from the nursing home. They were killing her. It was not a deliberate thing, but simple lack of humanity. She was sinking fast. So we brought her home.

In a couple weeks she has regained some strength, eats like a horse and is far more alert. The good side of her hospitalization is the "meds." The psychotic side of the Alzheimers is controlled. We are thankful for that.

But now life revolves around Christine 24 hours a day. Anita has very limited breaks from the 24/7 care she is required to provide. When I get home from work, I try to provide an opportunity for her to vent and have some adult conversation. That's not always easy given the nature of the practice in which I am involved. I come home pretty drained.

Folks, this stuff is hard.

But then I hand Christine a pill after dinner to help her sleep through the night, and I get a soft "thank you" and an angelic smile.

So what is life like?

It's like life. It's work. It's suffering as the Budha would tell us. It is treating the least of us with some care and understanding. It is simply trying to be a decent person and doing the best we can.

And when I think of it that way, I feel grateful.

Thank you God for this day. Thank you for the people in my life. Thank you for productive work to do. And perhaps most of all, thank you for that smile and "thank you" I got tonight.